re: NBA Free Agency Thread: Day 21

quote:

---

The worst #1 pick ever

---

You're quite the reactionary, huh?

quote:

---

You're quite the reactionary, huh?

---

Quite the homer, huh?

It's like Fearthehat wrote this...

quote:

---

Rockets

One of the funny parts about spending way too much time on the Internet is that sometimes you initially agree with a criticism, but then everybody starts talking about it and tweeting about it, one-upping each other with hotter takes, and eventually the opinions get taken so far that you can’t help but double back and start defending what you were initially criticizing. That’s what happened with Daryl Morey this week.

It went like this:

• “Wow, the Rockets really looked like idiots in the end this summer.” (Yep.)
• “Morey isn’t as invincible as everyone says he is.” (100 percent.)
• “What happened this summer was a colossal mistake.” (Umm …)
• “Morey’s just a product of incestuous media putting him on a pedestal. He’s never been that great” (OK.)
• “Seven years in Houston, and Morey’s made the second round once. Why doesn’t anyone write an article about THAT?” [Backing away slowly]
• “FINALLY, the myth of Morey is being exposed.” (Wait, what?)
• “Will the Rockets even make the playoffs this year?” (WHAT?)

Everybody needs to calm down. The Rockets will be OK. This summer was all about going for Chris Bosh and Carmelo Anthony to fill out a contender’s nucleus, then going over the cap to bring back Parsons as a fourth star. That plan may not have won a title, but it was worth the risk.

Now Houston’s paying Trevor Ariza half of what Parsons is getting, and in return it will still have shooting to stretch the floor, plus much better defense. It’s not perfect, but come on. The only way this offseason is that bad is if you think Parsons is that good.

You can debate what the Rockets should do from here, but “not pay Chandler Parsons $15 million a year” is hard to argue with. That decision would’ve happened next offseason regardless. Just because it came a year early doesn’t mean we have to suddenly have a collective reckoning over Morey’s supposed fraudulent career.

Anyway, I’m sticking with the Chris Paul comparison from Monday. Morey’s easy to root against for all kinds of legitimate reasons, and he’s never been as infallible as the hype suggests, but the broader track record is tough to criticize. That part is not a myth. I hated watching the Rockets last year, but go back and look at the 2011 roster. Morey turned that team into James Harden and Dwight Howard and a five-year window in which a title is at least a realistic goal. If the big criticism is “TALK TO ME WHEN HE WINS SOMETHING,” well, that’s what people say about Paul. It doesn’t mean he’s not really good.

In conclusion, I hated the Week of Morey Backlash for a lot of reasons, but especially because it made me defend the goddamn Rockets.

GRADE: B, AND A NEW MASCOT

---

quote:

---

One of the funny parts about spending way too much time on the Internet is that sometimes you initially agree with a criticism, but then everybody starts talking about it and tweeting about it, one-upping each other with hotter takes, and eventually the opinions get taken so far that you can’t help but double back and start defending what you were initially criticizing.

---

This happens to me all the time.

quote:

---

Where is that from?

---

Grantland

LINK

quote:

---

Bulls

Pau Gasol isn’t the same player he was on offense three years ago, and on defense he’ll be almost as big a liability as Carlos Boozer. Is he supposed to solve the scoring issues they had in the playoffs? Paying him $22 million for three years isn’t bad, but if he doesn’t really fix the offense, and hurts the defense, even an affordable Pau is just money that the Bulls can’t spend on real solutions.

Chicago is pinning a lot of hope on Doug McDermott, who should be solid right away, and Nikola Mirotic, who’s a total wild card after two years of vague Internet hype and obligatory inclusion in every single Bulls trade rumor. Mirotic sounds great as an idea, but read this scouting report from someone who watched him this year for Real Madrid. (Includes the sentence, “He pretty much made Bostjan Nachbar an NBA All-Star.”) They also punted on using two first-round picks in a loaded draft class. Instead of taking, say, Gary Harris and T.J. Warren, they traded up to take McDermott.

It’d be one thing if the Bulls didn’t see this coming with free agents this summer, but they had a year to try to create max cap space, and with an offer of four years for $73 million, they came up $23 million short of what the Lakers were offering with the actual max. This basically made it impossible for Carmelo to choose Chicago, which also removed the possibility of a sign-and-trade, because the Knicks knew there’s no way Carmelo would ever forfeit $50 million.

So instead Chicago is bringing back Kirk Hinrich, adding Pau, and hoping Joakim Noah stays healthy for a full season again. Everyone’s picking them to jump to the top of the East, which could be setting up for a pretty brutal letdown. A lot is riding on Derrick Rose’s knee, I guess.

Hopefully, all this is wrong and the Bulls battle to the death with the Cavs in the East, because that makes the whole league more fun. But for a team that makes $60 million per year in profit, and actually has good players, a good coach, a huge market, great fans … Bulls offseasons really shouldn’t be this depressing. Somehow they always are.

GRADE: D, AND PRAYERS FOR DERRICK’S KNEE

---

quote:

---

lolno

---

lolyes

Bennett stinks


He finished the season with a 6.95 PER, much lower than Kwame Brown's his rookie year.

Thanks fellas



Pretty harsh on Chicago


I'm sure i'm a bit of a homer, but I think we improved our team overall. And I completely disagree that replacing Booz with Pau will hurt the defense. Boozer couldn't guard me and was replaced by a 7 footer that averaged 10 rebounds and 1.5 blocks a game last year. Still have Noah and Taj down low as well.


Two legit 7 footers that are top 3 passers at their position to go with a ton of shooting and the return of Rose makes for a pretty strong team as long as it stays healthy. For Rose, that has been the tricky part. If he stays healthy and is at least 80% of what he was, the Bulls can contend for the East this year.



I am biased though.